New Delhi, April 13 -- For five demanding days, under a scorching sun, in sapping humidity, and into late restless evenings, the Indian women's team kept pushing on. With or without a crowd to support them in the stands, the players bled blue. The immediate goal was to make the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs. The larger picture? To make a statement for Indian women's tennis.

Sania Mirza apart, most of India's women's tennis players have spent too long on the sidelines. But over the last week at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, they took centrestage. And they played like they belonged.

The assignment was tough. Six teams assembled in Pune for the Asia-Oceania Group I-India, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Thail...